A Lion in the House (2006)

Five families struggle with the ups and downs of cancer treatment over the course of six years.

Directors:

Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Stars:

Justin Ashcraft, Adam Ashcraft, Dale Ashcraft

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Justin Ashcraft	...	Himself
Adam Ashcraft	...	Himself
Dale Ashcraft	...	Himself
Debbie Ashcraft	...	Herself
Jennifer Roller	...	Herself
Robert Arceci	...	Himself (as Dr. Robert Arceci)
Victor Balaso	...	Himself (as Dr. Victor Balaso)
Cyndi DeLaat	...	Herself (as Dr. Cyndi DeLaat)
Malini Gillen	...	Herself (as Dr. Malini Gillen)
Fred Huang	...	Himself (as Dr. Fred Huang)
Paul Jublinsky	...	Himself (as Dr. Paul Jublinsky)
Connie Coons	...	Herself
Alex Lougheed	...	Herself
Jackie Lougheed	...	Herself
Judy Lougheed	...	Herself

Storyline

Five families struggle with the ups and downs of cancer treatment over the course of six years.

---

Plot Keywords:

cancer | 

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

ITVS PBS [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

De unga kämparna på canceravdelningen

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

225 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

documentary film-making at its best

I first heard of this film on NPR, and I was intrigued based on the sole the fact that it's a documentary. (I'm a huge fan of documentaries.) Then I found out that it was playing on PBS and I got to watch it.

This film is by far the most captivating film I have ever seen. The director(s) did a wonderful job of letting the story tell itself, and I appreciated the fact that they gave minimal commentary and just let the camera role. Sort of the "fly on the wall" perspective. They also did an amazing job in integrating the human element into the film as by the end of the film I felt I had a direct connection with every character in the film. I felt I was there with all of the children as they battled with cancer, and I felt for the families having to go through the battle that cancer is. It helped me deal with a lot of the pain I locked up inside when my family went through the same ordeal over ten years ago with my young cousin and later with my uncle. It was by far the most difficult film I have ever watched.

Prior to watching the film I would often get into these meaningless debates about whatever on the IMDb message board as well as other "blog" sites, but after watching this film it made all of that seem trivial and thus a waste of time. The film forced me to get my priorities straight, and my respect for what the doctors, nurses, and volunteers do at the average Children's Hospital has increased five-fold.

I believe everyone should watch this film because it brings a sense of reality. Sometimes we become too comfortable with our lives and forget about everyone else. It's a true reality check, and that's exactly what a documentary should always be.